# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1858_S201
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Münkel on Prof. Baumgarten's Dismissal. 201

gains dominion. Accordingly the whole of sacred history must submit to
being read as a struggle between animality and humanity, prefigured in
Cain and Abel. But since human nature still has enough in it to develop
higher powers for this struggle, we see a series of developments running
through Jewish history which, step by step, prepare the victory over the
animal kingdom and the final Kingdom of God. Such a chief development
takes place in Jesus, whose origin and coming-to-be out of Israel B.
explains in just the way a botanist might trace the formation of the
fruit through all the preliminary stages of plant life. Jesus is, in
fact, according to his whole nature, a product of Israel, a mere man,
except that he was born without sin and without the agency of a man,
and perfectly represents what Israel ought to have been and was not —
for which reason he was also, by a perfect communication of the Spirit,
made fit for his calling. He attempted to set up the kingdom, in part at
the cleansing of the Temple, in part at his entry into Jerusalem, both
of which were inquiries addressed to Israel, whether the people would
gird him with the sword and set him upon the earthly throne of David.
The people did not understand the inquiry, but answered with the
crucifixion. Nothing else was left to Jesus, after his work had failed,
than, after the resurrection, to withdraw into the "invisible depth of
heaven," and, in complete separation from his congregation — which must
now govern itself — to await the further course of world history until
Israel is converted, and then to set up the thwarted earthly kingdom.
For without Israel this is impossible.

We poor Christians from among the Gentiles have fared badly since
Israel's fall. Among our peoples, down to the few believing souls, all
is corrupted beyond remedy. The states in particular are pure worldly
powers, standing under the dominion of the Beast, and must all in time
be destroyed, to make room for the Kingdom of Israel. But the Church
too is not much better off. In the first place, its union with the
ungodly state is an evil; and further, the church orders, the confessions,
the ministry, and church government allow no true life to arise. All
this must be completely swept away; the individual believers must be
placed purely on their own footing and set under the power and
inspiration of the Holy Spirit working within them. "Before the presence
of his unlimited will, every theory and practice, however hallowed its
standing, must bow." For it is not possible to form churches; only
individuals can be gathered and sanctified, until the Kingdom, the
thousand-year Reich, is set up. — Everyone will readily see that B.
would be the most colossal revolutionary of all, if he took his
principles seriously. For indeed he still keeps them within certain
limits, and declares the Revolution to be the forerunner of Antichrist,
without thereby breaking the staff over every revolution. We pass over
the proofs of this from the documents, since they are not further
needed.